Proactively respond to the risk of drought and saltwater intrusion

With the forecast that drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion will occur more widely and severely than every year, the agricultural sector and localities in the province are proactively implementing many solutions to ensure safety for agricultural production and minimize damage caused by drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion.

Thuy Khe pumping station ensures irrigation water for agricultural production in Gio Linh - Photo: LA

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total water resources of irrigation reservoirs in the province are currently about 67%, and the Quang Tri irrigation and hydroelectric reservoir alone is about 72% of the design capacity. Meanwhile, according to the forecast of the provincial Hydrometeorological Station, due to the influence of the El Nino phenomenon, this year's dry season is hotter and longer than the average of many years. The average temperature tends to be 0.5 - 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the average of many years. The total rainfall is 20 - 30% lower than the average of many years.

In particular, the flow on the Ben Hai River from May to July 2024 will only reach 10.1 - 17.2% and be 82.8 - 89.9% lower than the average of the same period in many years. Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hoe commented that with the current water volume of the dams and the forecasted weather trend, the summer-autumn crop will face the risk of water shortage, drought and widespread saltwater intrusion across the province.

Providing irrigation water for agricultural production will face many difficulties, especially during the rice panicle initiation and flowering stages. Through water balance calculations, the water-deficient area requiring pumping support solutions is more than 3,280 hectares; of which, the area managed by the Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited is about 1,960 hectares, the area managed by localities is more than 1,320 hectares. The area that needs to be converted in the summer-autumn crop is about 738 hectares.

Mr. Ho Xuan Hoe added that in order to proactively respond to the risk of drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion, serving the summer-autumn crop production, the agricultural sector has proactively implemented response solutions such as: recommending farmers to increase the application of advanced irrigation solutions, water-saving irrigation for crops; in case of water shortage, prioritizing the supply for daily life, high-economic crops and other essential needs; implementing small-scale decentralized water storage by households and groups of households to ensure the minimum supply for daily life, livestock and upland crops.

Implement irrigation solutions such as dredging water intakes, canal systems, digging ponds and wells, building temporary dams to prevent salinity, installing field pumping stations to help clear the flow, making the most of the return water source. Arrange a suitable crop structure, prioritizing the use of crop varieties with short growth periods, drought-resistant varieties, and high economic efficiency.

Develop a regional and inter-regional water regulation plan, providing water alternately at necessary stages of rice cultivation; ensure sufficient irrigation water, especially during the earing and flowering stages. Coordinate with Quang Tri Hydropower Company and local reservoir owners to develop and agree on a regulation plan for downstream areas to serve agricultural production.

Review and identify areas at risk of rural water shortages, assess the capacity of water sources for domestic use to develop plans and organize the implementation of measures to provide clean water to people such as establishing centralized water supply points, extending water supply pipelines, supporting water storage equipment, and using mobile vehicles to transport water to residential areas.

On the local side, it is recommended to urgently convert 738 hectares of rice land lacking water to dry crops suitable for the farming and soil characteristics of each region. At the same time, effectively operate irrigation systems and works to get water, proactively store water to ensure meeting the minimum water demand for irrigation of crops when there is a water shortage, and limit damage to production and business, especially agricultural production.

Identify areas at risk of water shortages to proactively organize and implement solutions to ensure water supply for people, and prevent people from lacking water for daily use. If necessary, mobilize forces and means of water transportation to supply people. "The agricultural sector has also proposed the Provincial People's Committee to approve a funding source to support drought prevention of more than 12.7 billion VND," Mr. Hoe informed.

Le An

Source